Peaches and Love
by Ayla Pascal
Summary: Abby tells Connor that she loves him. Contains: fluff


Author Notes: Thank you to aigooism for the beta!

Abby shifted uncomfortably on the bed. The cast on her leg was chafing again, and she longed to rip it off and scratch the irritated skin underneath. She grabbed the chopstick off the bedside table and slid it inside her cast. The coolness of the wood felt wonderful against her skin, but it didn't seem to be enough to stop the itching. It felt like hundreds of fire ants were crawling up her leg; she could almost feel their pincers biting her skin. If she didn't know better, she would have thought that she was allergic, but the doctor had told her that irritation from the cast was normal.

"Damn it!" she exclaimed as she threw the chopstick in the corner. It just figured that she would get injured on the first holiday she'd taken in three years. She could run away from dinosaurs and future predators and end up fine, but the slopes had got the better of her. Actually, Connor had got the best of her. He'd taken a tumble right in front of her, which had caused her to swerve out of the way. She'd ended up smacking hard into a tree and ended up with a broken leg and wrapped up ribs; he'd only ended up with a couple of bruises.

She could hear footsteps rushing up the stairs. Connor's concerned face appeared around the corner. He shifted from foot to foot as he leaned against the doorway. Abby grinned internally; he looked adorable when he was nervous. She suspected that despite her reassurance, he still felt like the accident was his fault. "Do you need anything?" he asked. His hands emerged from behind his back and he held something out to her. "I have a peach."

Abby sniffed. She could smell its juicy sweetness all the way from the bed. Her mouth began to water. She opened her mouth to ask Connor to bring the peach over, but then decided against it. She hated being in bed all day and doing nothing but watching telly. After all, she did have crutches, which meant that she didn't need to stay here. Sure, she wasn't very good at going down the stairs yet, but there were plenty of things she could do upstairs. With a wince at the pain in her ribs, Abby manoeuvred herself to the edge of the bed and grabbed the crutch she had placed against the bedside table. "Sounds good," she said.

Connor hurried over and put an arm around her. "Are you sure you should be getting up? I can get you anything you need." He placed the peach down on the bed and patted her gently on the shoulder. Abby winced. She'd also ended up with plenty of bruises.

Abby shook her head emphatically. "I don't need to be in bed all day. After all, I have these." For emphasis, she waved one of her crutches around.

Connor ducked as the crutch almost hit him. "Careful," he said with a grin. "You're dangerous with that."

His grin was infectious and Abby couldn't help but smile back. She knew she was being grumpy but she couldn't help it. There had been another dinosaur attack yesterday, and she'd missed out on it because of her leg. Connor had been called into work and ended up coming back all sweaty with his shirt ripped and blood on him, but his eyes had been gleaming. He'd chattered enthusiastically about the anomaly all through their dinner of Chinese take-out while Abby sat there, picking at her foot and using the chopsticks to try to relieve the itching underneath her cast. "You don't need to stay home today, you know," she told him.

Connor reached over and grabbed a hand. He then used his other hand to tilt her face up. "I do," he said quietly, his eyes serious. "I was so worried when you hit that tree. You were just lying there..." He bit his lip. "I don't know what I'd do if..."

Abby swallowed. The intense look in Connor's eyes scared her but in a good way. Her stomach was doing back flips and her skin was tingling with anticipation. It was just like the brief terrifying moment after jumping out of a plane, but before the parachute opened. They'd been dating for just over six months now, and it had been both strange and wonderful. The first few weeks had been awkward, especially since they lived together, but they'd managed to work through it. They still kept their own rooms, which Abby was grateful for, but sometimes, Connor would fall asleep after sex, and Abby would wake up the next morning to find his arm around her and his breath warm against the back of the neck. She loved those mornings. Their holiday had been wonderful, and she'd liked waking up with him every morning, but now that they were back, Abby realised it was nice to have her own bed as well.

"I ... don't want to lose you," Connor said.

"You're not going to lose me," Abby said lightly. "At least, not to a tree in Switzerland." She leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. Connor's arms tightened around her and he pressed a kiss onto her neck. "I'm not going anywhere."

Just before Connor drew back, Abby thought that she heard him mumble something into her neck. It was indistinct, but somehow the cadence was familiar. It was as though even without hearing it, she knew what he had said. As he sat up straight again, Abby could see a small crease in his forehead and a look of what seemed like anticipation in his eyes.

"Did you say something?" Abby asked. "Sorry, but I couldn't hear you properly."

Connor looked away, but not before she saw trepidation flicker through his eyes. "It was nothing," he said quickly. "I just wanted to know what you want for dinner. I could make us up some spaghetti." He turned back to her and grinned.

"Spaghetti?" Abby teased.

Connor laughed lightly. "I promise I'll read the packet this time."

Abby hesitated and then took a deep breath. She was almost positive that she knew what Connor had whispered into her neck, and if she waited for him to say it again, then she'd probably be waiting for another six months. "I'd love to have it," she said carefully.

"You would?" Connor looked surprised.

Abby laughed. "Well, actually, no," she said. "But if you're cooking, then ... well... I'll love anything you're cooking." Damn it, this was harder than she thought. Connor was sitting there, the peach still on the bed next to him, and he was going to cook her dinner, even though he hated cooking and everything he cooked was terrible. Abby suspected that he could probably burn water. But he was going to try. For _her_.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Connor leaned over and brushed her hair away from her eyes. "You're not concussed or anything?" He hesitated. "Maybe I should take you to the doctor again."

"I'm fine," Abby said. She shifted slightly. In fact, she _was_ feeling better; her leg had stopped itching and even her ribs weren't aching as much.

"Fantastic," Connor said, looking relieved. "Well, come on, get back on the bed. I'll bring the telly up and then cook you up something. Once we've tasted that, then we can decide whether to order pizza or not." He reached over and propped up several pillows on the bed. Abby sank back into the softness, and Connor tucked the blankets around her. "I'll be right back," Connor said as he stood up and walked towards the door.

"Connor?" Abby called out as he was just about to step out of the room.

He turned around, an enquiring look in his eyes.

Abby gulped. Even though she knew that everything was going to be alright, this was still hard. She looked down at the peach in her lap. "I love you," she blurted out and then glanced up.

In a flash, Connor was back at her side, his fingers entwined with her own. There was a tiny smile flitting around the corner of his mouth, almost as though he longed to beam, but wasn't quite sure if he could or not. He licked his lips and reached over to caress the side of her face. "I..." Connor began. "I..."

Abby reached over and pressed a thumb up against his dry lips. "You don't have to say anything," she told him. "I just wanted you to know."

Connor nodded slowly. Abby concentrated on taking deep and even breaths. The look in his eyes made her feel warm and shivery all over. She couldn't seem to tear herself away from the mesmerising look in his eyes until he stood up. "I, uh, guess I'll go and make dinner," he said.

"Yeah," Abby said. She watched as he slowly turned around and walked back towards the door. She couldn't help but feel a flutter of disappointment. "Remember to drain the water from the pasta afterwards this time."

She heard Connor laugh as he went through the door and turned the corner. Abby pushed the slight sense of dissatisfaction away and toyed with the peach in her lap. It smelled sweet. It was just the kind of fruit she liked eating and it was perfectly ripe with soft, but not too soft, flesh. Abby lifted it up and she was just about to take a bite when she heard footsteps outside her door again.

Connor's head poked around the doorframe. "I love you too," he said rapidly. Then he ducked away. She heard his footsteps clattering down the stairs and then the sound of pots and pans being pulled out of cupboards in the kitchen.

Abby grinned and bit into the peach.

-fin


End file.
